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In just a few eloquent words artist Hollie McNish explains how it does not add up the way some people think of immigration.

According to the artist, the thoughts on immigration is based on personal experience and studies. The poem owes a lot to a book by economist Philippe Legrain called Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them.

Below the video you can see the full text for the poem. Enjoy!

Mathematics

He says"those god damn pakistanis and their goddamn corner shopsBuilt a shop on every corner took our British workers jobsHe says those godamn Chinese and their goddamn china shopsI tell him theyre from Vietnam but he doesn't give a tossI ask him what was there before that damn Japan mans shopHe stares at me and dreams a scene of British workers jobsOf full time full employment before the godamn boats all cameWhere everybody went to work full time every dayA British Business stood their first he claims before the Irish cameNow British people lost their jobs and bloody turkish are there to blameI ask him how he knows that fact he says because it's trueI ask him how he knows the fact he says he read it in the newsEverytime a Somalian comes here they take a job from usThe mathematics one for one, from us to them it just adds upHe bites his cake and sips is brew and says again he knows the spotThe godamn Carribeans came and now good folk here don't have jobsI ask him what was there before the goddamn Persian curtain shopI show him architectures plans of empty godamn plots of landI show him the historic mapsA bit of sand, a barren landThere was no goddamn shop before those pakistanis came and plannedManI'm sick of crappy mathematicsCos I love a bit of sumsI spent three years into economicsAnd I geek out over calculusAnd when I meet these paper claimsThat one of every new that cameTakes away ones daily wageI desperately want to scream"Your maths is stuck in primary"Cos one who comes here also spendsAnd one who comes here also lendsAnd some who comes here also tendTo set up work which employs themAnd all your balance sheets and trendsWork with numbers not with menAnd all your goddamn heated talkIgnores the trade the Polish broughtIgnores the men they gave work toNot plumbing jobs but further tooIgnores the ones they buy stock fromAccountants, builders, on and onAnd I know it's nice to have someoneTo blame our lack of jobs uponBut immigrations not as plainDespite the sums inside your brainAs one for one, as him or youAs if he goes, they'll employ youCos sometimes one that comes makes twoAnd sometimes one can add three moreAnd sometimes two times two is much much moreThan fourAnd most times immigrants bring moreThan minuses.